CLARIFIED BUTTER S olid butter may look like a single, homogeneous substance, but melt it in a pan, and it quickly becomes apparent that it’s made up of a few different things • Butterfat makes up around 80 percent of the weight of butter (up to 84 percent for some highend “European-style” butters, or as low as 65 percent for some fresh-churned, farm stand– style butters) Because there are many different fats that make up butterfat, each one of which softens and melts at a specific temperature range, butter goes through many textural changes as you heat it, slowly softening and becoming more and more malleable until finally, at around 95°F, all of the fats are liquefied • Water makes up another 15 percent (down to 11 percent for high-end butters, up to 30 percent for fresh-churned butters) In the cool environs of the fridge, the water and fat in a stick of butter commingle without any problem But apply some energy to the situation by heating it in a skillet, and eventually the water converts to steam, forming small bubbles of vapor and causing your butter to foam Once the foaming has subsided, you know that all of the water has made its escape and your butter has begun to climb above 212°F Since water is denser than fat, when butter is melted in a large pot, this layer of water (and a few dissolved proteins) will sink to the bottom, where it will begin to bubble if heated long enough • Milk proteins, mainly casein, make up the remaining 5 percent (or so) of the butter These proteins are the milky white scum that floats to the top of your butter as you melt it, and it’s these proteins that will begin to brown and eventually burn and smoke as you heat butter in a hot skillet Because of its water and protein content, plain ... layer of water (and a few dissolved proteins) will sink to the bottom, where it will begin to bubble if heated long enough • Milk proteins, mainly casein, make up the remaining 5 percent (or so) of the butter These proteins are the milky white... Water makes up another 15 percent (down to 11 percent for high-end butters, up to 30 percent for fresh-churned butters) In the cool environs of the fridge, the water and fat in a stick of butter... apply some energy to the situation by heating it in a skillet, and eventually the water converts to steam, forming small bubbles of vapor and causing your butter to foam Once the foaming has subsided, you know that all of the water has